Jacqueline McKenzie stars in this bleak, ambitious character portrait. Kicked out of her home by her loutish, abusive boyfriend, Penny (McKenzie) tries desperately to ingratiate herself back into his favor. In her pathetic efforts to debase… MoreJacqueline McKenzie stars in this bleak, ambitious character portrait. Kicked out of her home by her loutish, abusive boyfriend, Penny (McKenzie) tries desperately to ingratiate herself back into his favor. In her pathetic efforts to debase herself, she makes all the wrong choices, including a half-hearted attempt to sacrifice her dog and kill her son.

Fiction writer and debuting helmer Mary Kuryla is clearly after a Big Statement on abuse and strength of character, but falls short by creating a self-destructive monster in lieu of a sympathetic protagonist.